Who would have thought that there would be comedy in conflict, humour in unhappiness, fun in family dysfunction?
Playwright Alan Ayckbourn, for one.
His – dramedy? Stage version of Dr. Phil? – Table Manners is South Simcoe Theatre’s latest production, opening this week at Cookstown’s Old Town Hall.
The play is actually part of a trilogy, The Norman Conquests – three plays that revolve around the same six family members: siblings Reg (Ralph Chapman), Ruth (Wendy Wall) and Annie (Maggi Robertson), and their respective partners.
Reg is married to Sarah (Mary-Ellen O’Neill Madeley in a tour de force portrayal of the family’s self-styled organizer and control freak); Ruth to “gigolo in the body of a haystack” Norman (Robert Knapp, as the unrepentant seducer); while Annie tries and fails to ignite a spark in “ponderous” and obtuse veterinarian Tom (Stuart Todd).
The other two plays in the trilogy – Round and Round the Garden and Living Together – take place in the garden and living room respectively of the family home. Table Manners is set around the dinner table.
Sharing food is usually a way of bonding and bringing people together. Not in Table Manners.
Every meal becomes a battleground, with disintegrating and often hilarious results. The veneer of civility doesn’t so much wear off, as peel away in chunks.
The siblings themselves seem to get along just fine, in the few moments they spend alone on stage together. It’s their spouses/significant others that they can’t stand, or that can’t stand each other, as things escalate over a weekend.
Table Manners is an at times merciless look at a dysfunctional family – although there’s always a measure of understanding and sympathy. No matter how outlandishly they behave, Ayckbourn’s family members never lose their humanity, thanks to an exceptional cast that makes the audience care about each imperfect character.
Director Wayne Noble calls it "a wonderful take on family dynamics and human nature" - and a sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious look at human relations.
Table Manners is an adult, occasionally uncomfortable, always entertaining evening of theatre. And there are plenty of laughs – even if sometimes the laughter is a little nervous.
On stage at the Old Town Hall, 1 Hamilton St. in Cookstown, the production opened on Thursday and runs until March 22, with 8 p.m. performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday.
Tickets are $20. Call the box office at 705-458-4432 or email [email protected] for information.
